1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of flavorants and particularly pertains to chicken flavorants and processes for preparing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Flavoring agents which simulate the flavor and aroma of cooked meat may be added to foodstuffs to impart or enhance meat-like organoleptic qualities. Various expedients have been suggested in the prior art to provide flavoring agents which have organoleptic profiles resembling cooked meat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,934,437 (and corresponding British Patent Specification No. 836,694) describes the preparation of a meat-like flavorant by the reaction of a mixture of a monosaccharide and the sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and cystine, and indicates that more "full-bodied" flavors may be obtained by adding other amino acids to the reaction mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,015 describes the preparation of a meat-like flavorant from the reaction of a proteinaceous substance with a sulfur-containing compound in the absence of a monosaccharide. These references, however, do not teach preparation of a flavorant having the specific organoleptic profile of chicken, as opposed to a general meat flavorant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,017 describes the preparation of a meat flavorant by reacting thiamine with a sulfur-containing polypeptide, or an amino acid mixture derived from the polypeptide, and thereafter adding aldehydes and ketones to the product. This patent mentions, without further elucidation, that nuances of beef, chicken or pork may be obtained, depending upon the exact choice of reactants or their proportions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,081,565 offers a similarly general suggestion that the presence of saccharides in a Maillard-type reaction mass may give rise to sweet meat flavor characteristics, such as poultry or sweet pork nuances. U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,514 describes the preparation of meat-like flavorants from a mixture of an amino acid source, a mono-, di-, tri-, or polysaccharide and an animal or vegetable fat. This patent indicates that a cooked chicken flavor may be obtained by incorporating lard in the reaction mixture. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,114 indicates that a chicken flavor may be obtained by reacting a hexose or pentose with cystine or cysteine and a particular amount of glycine, neutralizing the reaction mixture and heating at an elevated temperature.
However, prior to the present invention there have been needs for improved species-specific chicken flavorants and processes for making the same.